


Lonely is the Soul

by Corycides



Series: 100 Fics in 100 Days [36]
Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-05 01:11:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/717153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corycides/pseuds/Corycides
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny has never been alone</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lonely is the Soul

Danny's life had been lived to the metronome of Charlie's heartbeat.

It was steady as Charlie, the only reliable thing in Danny's life. Mom might walk away and Dad might get quietly, insistently drunk until he might as well have, but Charlie was always there.

He knew exactly how many heartbeats it took to get through to dawn.

At night when he couldn't sleep, the rattled wheeze of air in his lungs shocking him awake, she'd crawl into bed and cuddle with him. Instead of sheep, he counted the steady beat thumped against his back.

He knew the flutter-spike of her pulse – her hand squeezed so tight around his that he could feel it through her fingers – when to run so she could fight.

It didn't matter how big the boys were, or how many of them there were, Charlie would take them on. She never won – not once – but that wasn't the point, losing was the point. Them knowing that she'd take a broken arm, broken rib or split lip just to hurt them.

Danny even knew the molasses-thick throb of intent, the blood gone slow and steady in the big vein at her throat as she released the quarrel.

'It was an accident,' she'd said, big eyes earnest and face open. Charlie never lied. Most people didn't realise that didn't mean she couldn't lie. 'I didn't see him. Ned is going to be OK isn't he?'

He was, but he gave them a wide berth after that.

So Danny knew that Charlie would come to get him. He _knew_ it. That certainty didn't help him get to sleep at night, it didn't steady his nerves when he looked for the person in his corner and found Rachel.

(It wasn't her fault, she'd told him that, but did it matter? She'd still left, that meant she could do it again.)

Monroe wasn't Charlie. He wasn't kind, he wasn't good – but unyielding was a little like reliable. And he _needed_ Danny, in a way that Charlie had never needed anyone. Monroe would protect Danny against anyone that wasn't Monroe, and if it gave him one more lever against Rachel he was willing to fuck Danny to sleep at night.

Danny had tried to count the number of thrusts from entry to wet, sticky end, but he always lost track somewhere in the middle. It was probably wrong to enjoy it – blunt fingers twisting in his hair, the hot, not-quite pain between his legs – but it wasn't as if he was going to tell anyone.

Afterwards Monroe sprawled around him, legs tangled and hand hooked possessively over Danny's hip, and talked into the nape of his neck. He made all sorts of promises (lies) and suggestions (more subtle lies), and sometimes talked about Danny's Uncle Miles and Charlie.

Danny didn't listen. He wasn't playing Monroe and Rachel's game. He just took the hot press of sweat-sticky skin to his back and counted how many of Monroe's heartbeats it took for Charlie to bring him home.


End file.
